1. INTERNATIONAL INTERAGENCY MEETING ON
ADOLESCENT PREGNANCY IN LATIN AMERICA AND
THE CARIBBEAN
PREVENTING ADOLESCENTS
PREGNANCIES IN THE
CARIBBEAN
MANAGUA
17 – 19 MARCH 2014
Morella Joseph
Programme Manager – HRD
CARICOM Secretariat

2. Introduction
Background Information
The Mandate
The Regional Integrated Strategy
Best Practices
Immediate Next Steps
OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION

3. QUALIFICATIONSCHILDHOOD
ADOLESCENCE
THE JOURNEY:
CARICOM
ADULTHOOD

4. • Caribbean: Ages 10 – 24
represents one third of the total
population of the region
• Between 18 – 34% of the
population is 15 years or younger
• They are shaping social and
economic development,
challenging social norms and
values, and building the
foundation of the world's future.

5. CARICOM
Caribbean children who were
sexually active had their first
sexual intercourse before the
age of 10 (42.8%) (WHO 2000)
Sexual abuse and
exploitation is one of the
most common types of abuse
in the Caribbean
(PAHO, 2001).
In the Caribbean region, CSA
and exploitation is an
escalating social problem
(WHO 2002)
The Caribbean has the earliest
age of sexual “debut” in the
world (World Bank, 2003)
There is an increasing
involvement of both boys and
girls in commercial sexual
exploitation (IOM, 2005)
Child sexual abuse very often
goes unnoticed and is usually
surrounded by “a culture of
silence and stigma”. (UNVAC
2006)
There is clear evidence of a
growing market for child sex
tourism. (UNICEF 2009)
CONCLUSION OF RESEARCH FINDINGS

6. SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR
Age of first intercourse
GENDER
MALE FEMALE
TOTAL
<10 years 23.5 54.8 42.8
11 - 12 16.4 23.2 20.6
13 - 15 44.7 19.3 28.9
16+ 15.3 2.7 7.6

7. SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR:
Number of Sex Partners
Gender
Male Female
Age Group
<12 13-15 16-18
Total
1 - 2 72.8 35.7 55.4 46.0 51.3 49.2
3 - 4 14.0 14.9 20.6 22.1 19.3 20.9
5+ 13.2 39.5 24.0 31.9 29.4 29 8
CARICOM

8. CARICOM
Sexual
Behaviour
8

9. CARICOM

10. CARICOM
Recommendations of
COHSOD XXIII in July 2012
and COHSOD XXIV in May
2013
Identified Adolescent
Pregnancy as a form of
CSA and a Regional
Priority
Recommended
establishment Multi-
sectoral Task Force led by
UNFPA ; CCS to provide
oversight
Development of an
Integrated Regional
Strategic Framework
to Reduce
Adolescent
Technical Meeting
convened in 28 – 30
October 2013 in Guyana
High level Consultation
on Adolescent Pregnancy
on 9 December 2013 in
Trinidad and Tobago
MANDATE FROM COHSOD AND
ACTION TAKEN

11. The Integrated Regional Framework
for the Prevention of Adolescent
Pregnancy
CARICOM

12. THE OVERALL GOAL OF THE FRAMEWORK
To reduce the number of adolescent pregnancies in each
country of the English- and Dutch speaking Caribbean by at
least 50% within the time-period 2014 – 2017
CARICOM

13. CARICOM
KEY RESULT AREAS
Outcome 1:
Access to
responsive
sexual- and
reproductive
health
services, informa
tion and
commodities:
the framework
proposes
Outcome 2:
Access to age
appropriate
comprehensive
sexuality
education
Outcome 3:
Social protection
mechanisms for
the prevention
of all forms of
violence against
adolescent girls.
Outcome 4:
Legal
Standards
Outcome 5:
Exchange of
knowledge, info
rmation and
good practices
in addressing
adolescent
pregnancy
THE STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK

14. • Outcomes will contribute to the
objectives of the CARICOM Youth
Development Plan (CYDP) 2012-
2017, the Regional Framework for
Action for Children 2005-2015
and other Caribbean-wide
frameworks.
• Outcomes will respond to the
recommendations made in the
Report of the CARICOM
Commission on Youth
Development (January 2010).

15. Strengthening and
increasing the availability of
differentiated and friendly
sexual and reproductive
health services for
adolescents, particularly for
14 years and older without
parent consent.
Outcome 1:
By 2017 all adolescent
boys and girls have access
to responsive sexual- and
reproductive health
services, information and
commodities.
KEY RESULT AREA

16. -
By 2017 Health and Family Life
Education implemented in all
schools.
- Sexuality education through
informal education modalities to
out-of-school adolescents.
- Parenting Education in Sexual
and Reproductive Health
Outcome 2:
Access to age appropriate
comprehensive sexuality
education
KEY AREA

17. CARICOM
Outcome 3:
By 2017 all Governments to implement Social
protection mechanisms for the prevention
of all forms of violence against adolescent
Girls especially the poorest and
most marginalised

18. CARICOM
Institutional strengthening
and capacity building
Development, implementation
and monitoring of community
outreach programmes
Empowerment of
adolescents, family and
communities
Development of positive,
safe and responsible social
environments in schools
and communities
Special social programmes
for those most at risk with
low socio-economic status
Key Elements

19. CARICOM
Outcome 4:
By 2017, all
Governments to
adopt common
legal Standards
CARICOM MS to share a set of
standards for the enactment of
legislation that can regulate the
ages of marriage, consent, access
to contraceptives and sexual and
reproductive services.
A common set of standards
to sanction and prosecute
sex offenders and protect
victims of sexual violence

20. Context
PROPOSED ACTIVITIES
Removing legal barriers, aimed at
the standardisation of age of
consent for sexual intercourse ,
child marriage and parental
consent for access to services.
Identification, attention
and rehabilitation of
victims of sexual abuse
and violence
Implementation of
norms and standards
for safeguarding of
anonymity of
adolescents, and
others
CARICOM

21. CARICOM
Outcome 5:
By 2017, Governments will
exchange knowledge, information
and good practices in addressing
adolescent pregnancy

22. CARICOM
• Identify, evaluate and
document good
practices relating to
Adolescent Pregnancy
-
Focus on societal
influences, lifestyles
and behaviours that
promote risky sexual
behaviour
• Resources,
technology,
knowledge and
Information
sharing
Inter-
governmental
collaboration
and cooperation
• Coordinated South-
South Collaboration
within and outside
the Region
Multi-sectoral and
multi-stakeholder
integrated
response
Integrated Response

23. CARICOM
Evidence based policy
advice and action
Design and adjustment to
policies, programmes, laws and
implementation mechanisms
based on analysis
Capacity building in the
health, education, child
and social protection
sectors
New courses in tertiary
education for personnel in
these sectors
Knowledge management to
create evidence required for
policy advice and action
PROPOSED STRATEGIES

24. Implementation Mechanisms
COUNTRY-LEVEL
Establishment of a
National Multi-Sectoral
Commission
Establish a country level
baseline for each of the
indicators
Monitoring, Evaluation, Coordination, identifying
best practices and Reporting
CARICOM-LEVEL
Standardisation of
laws, policies and
programmes
Oversee and review the
annual country
reporting on progress
for discussion at policy
and technical meetings
Function as knowledge
broker for South-South
Collaboration
- Extensive collaboration
with International
Organisation
CARICOM

25. Best Practices
1. Early Childhood Interventions
- provide enhanced educational and
social support in the early years of life
2. Youth Development:
- engage and provide young people
with skills and educational
opportunities that will help them
succeed as adults and develop career
aspirations.
3. Involvement of Family and Other
Caring Adults:
- affects an adolescent sexual behavior
and the risk of early pregnancy.
CARICOM

26. CARICOM
Talking to adolescents about sex can make for important
but sometimes uncomfortable conversations.
“Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation and WAD
of Guyana”
Jamaica Offers a Model for Preventing
Adolescent Pregnancies while
Supporting Young Mothers

27. 4.Boys and Male Involvement:
- males play a critical role in
unintended and early pregnancies,
and should be involved in efforts to
prevent adolescent pregnancy
- CariMan (empowerment of boys and
men)
5. Cultural Relevant
- culture plays a critical role in
influencing values and attitudes
about sex, child bearing, and
parenting - interventions will
increase the effectiveness of efforts
Best PracticesCARICOM

28. CARICOM
• Training
sessions to
address issues
such as Violence
and Life Planning
Create
Champions for
Change network
to combat
violence against
women.
• Sensitization
sessions on gender
roles
To provide a forum for
discussion on
Masculinity, sexual
diversity, relationships • Design and develop
interventions to
facilitate
communication
around manhood
To share best
practices.
CaribMAN: Caribbean Male Action Network
(12 Countries)

29. Best Practices
7. Service Learning:
- connects meaningful community service
with academic learning, civic
responsibility, and personal growth.
8. Increasing Employment
- Opportunities for adolescents is
necessary to assure economic self-
sufficiency, generate self-esteem, and
create the motivation to delay early
childbearing.
9. Access to Reproductive Health Services
- The sexually active need support and
encouragement to use contraception
effectively and consistently.

30. -Familiarization of Monitoring and
Evaluation e-Instrument
- Development of Model
legislation
National and Regional
Implementation Plans to be
developed
-Workshop to develop
Consolidated Framework on
6 – 8 May 2014
- Review of the Data
Collate information
received from
Member States on
Framework
CARICOM
Immediate Next Steps

31. Strategy should target the home, school, community, youth leaders,
media, policy makers, adolescent girls especially the marginalised and
high risk, multi-sectoral programmes to include life skills education,
sexual and reproductive health, education, employment and legislation.
Approach in addressing Adolescent Pregnancy: holistic, flexible,
multi-faceted , multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral.
, , ,
CARICOM

32. CARICOM
THANK YOU